Goa: Beef traders' strike enters Day 3

Panaji (Goa) [India], Jan 8 : The beef traders' protest against the alleged harassment by the cow vigilante groups entered its third day on Monday.

Manna Bepari, the president of the Qureshi Meat Traders Association of Goa, while talking to , said that the import of beef from the neighbouring states of Goa is getting hampered and so, they are suffering a huge loss but will call off the strike only when the state government will provide them complete assurance of safety.

"We used to bring meat legally from the neighbouring states and if the state government would support us then we will continue doing that. We demanded police protection from the government for selling beef in the state. Even after bringing it legally, the NGO's were accusing us falsely", Bepari said.

He said, "Goa is a tourist destination and if anyone thinks that they could completely ban the sale and the consumption of beef in the state, then they are wrong, it won't happen here".

Majority of beef is imported from Karnataka by the meat traders in Goa.

Consumption of red meat in Goa is high, as it is one of the tourist spots in India and lakhs of foreigner visit here every day.